Halal cart customers come from a variety of places. Whether it be a Muslim eating at a cart for religious reasons, or an American construction worker with some time off from work. Tons of different kinds of people eat at halal carts and enjoy the Middle Eastern Cuisine everyday.
According to an article on Bloomberg.com sales of halal food have been surging as of late. “In grocery and convenience stores and similar outlets, research firm Nielsen estimates that sales reached $1.9 billion in the 12 months through August, a 15 percent increase from 2012.”(Giammona and Green, Bloomberg.com). The increase in consumption of halal food is staggering, but while there may be a correlation between the increase in Muslims into the country and the increase in consumption this isn’t the sole factor that’s driving the economy for halal food upwards. The CEO of American Halal Co., estimates that around 80 percent of those that buy his food are not following the laws of Islam, but rather just appreciate the quality of the food. People who aren’t required to eat halal still enjoy the halal food because of its tremendous quality.
Although halal food is becoming more popular, some companies are still hesitant to sell halal products in the U.S. This may be because some companies believe that there is a sort of stigma associated with halal and Islam as a whole, but considering that in today’s divisive political landscape halal food sales are still on the rise, it is predicted that many companies will eventually enter into this profitable market.
Halal Guys which is the most famous brand of halal carts has played a huge part in getting halal food on the map. Halal Guys started as a street cart serving meat in New York, but became so popular that they plan to make 300 sit-down restaurants in the U.S
The primary reason why The Halal Guys is so successful today is because of its superb customer service. The Halal Guys can quickly cater to what the customers truly want. For instance, in 1990 The Halal Guys’ founders Mohammed Abouelenein, Ahmed Elsaka and Abdelbaset Elsayed quickly realized that their hot dog cart would not be able to compete with all the other hot dog carts that came before them. Thus, they decided to switch to Halal in order to satisfy the growing demands of the Muslim cab drivers. The cart then quickly attracted tons of 
locals and tourists. After opening up the restaurants The Halal Guys began to implement rewards programs in order to reward the frequent diners. Lastly, The Halal Guys’ determination to stay true to its roots is commendable. Despite the fact that 95% of the customers aren’t Muslim, the Halal Guys still insists on retaining the authenticity of halal food by using only halal-certified meats. The customer base for halal carts and the halal industry as a whole is one of the key determinants in the business of The Halal Guys and all other halal carts and halal manufacturers around the United States.
To learn more about what makes some halal carts, such as The Halal Guys, more successful than others, click here.
Filloon, Whitney. “Meet the Company Taking the Halal Guys Global.” Eater. Eater, 29 Mar. 2017. Web. 14 May 2017.
Green, Jeff, and Craig Giammona. “How Halal Food Became a $20 Billion Hit in America.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 14 Sept. 2016. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.
